Launched in 2017, MSC Meraviglia, the company’s largest operational vessel till date has witnessed a grand response from India market. With guest capacity of 5,714, MSC Meraviglia is both the biggest ship to ever be built by a European ship owner – MSC Cruises – and the biggest to come into service in 2017. To further promote the cruise, MSC recently organised its first ever fam trip for tour operators in India market.
Speaking about the India market Kunal Sampat, General Manager- India, MSC Cruises said, “The response from India market has been quite encouraging for MSC Meraviglia, considering it’s a new ship. The trend has been changing in India for the cruise holiday segment. In the last two years a lot of the cruise liners have been coming out with their new ships. In 2017, we launched MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside, this year we are launching MSC Seaview and next year we are launching MSC Bellissima and MSC Grandiosa. As per our expansion plans we are practically launching a new ship every year till 2026. Our aim is to triple our capacity by 2026. We are promoting all our sailings in India and have got good bookings. Looking forward the way India is evolving; it is an emerging market for cruise holidays. Last couple of years has been pretty encouraging for all the cruise players in India.”
During the recently organised fam trip, MSC Cruises invited 16 tour operators to experience the cruise which was a short sailing between Barcelona, Spain and Genoa, Italy. The tour operators got a firsthand experience of the cruise along with some knowledge on premium products including the Yacht Club experience, which is promoted as a ship within a ship. The Yacht Club is a private experience where travellers can have exclusive privileges, like access to exclusive areas, butler service, private swimming pool, etc. With the evolution of the Indian cruise market, travellers are now looking towards premium experiences.
Speaking about the cruise Rishabh Shah, Business Head- Outbound, Touristers said, “During the summer a lot of Mediterranean cruising happens from India. Cruising is definitely a value product. MSC has picked up since the last three years, and they are very aggressive in promoting the products. MSC Meraviglia is a fantastic product. The rooms are very good along with the amenities. The cruise has something for everyone. In terms of F&B the cruise has various options, even for vegetarians. Also, Indian food can be served on demand which is an added benefit.”
Falguni Parekh, Partner, Sanskruti Vacations added, “MSC Cruises is known to offer its guests Mediterranean and modern lifestyle at a good price. MSC Meraviglia is the flagship of MSC’s new cruise. It has a sophisticated state -of art technology, bold design and extraordinary features. It is this cutting -edge extraordinary features that make MSC Meraviglia ideal for cruising in summer and winter, including wide dining options and entertainment choices, stunning open spaces, a large theatre and a spectacular amusement park with an outdoor aqua park. The picturesque Promenade Deck includes the ship’s shopping arcade, various bars, specialty restaurants, ample seating. The whole area is covered by a huge LED-screen that displays various images, vistas and special-effects.”
Jyot Jhaveri, Director, Sunday Pure Holidays said, “Cruising segment has grown rapidly in the last couple of years. This cruise has an ample of amenities for every kind of traveller. Even this vessel is ideal for celebrations and weddings. MSC understands the Indian need which is very important. Cruising is an affordable luxury, the Yacht Club is a premium product which gives exclusivity for the travellers and is not expensive but is an experience.”
Sampat said, “The interest is growing as travellers have started understanding the value that a family can get from a cruise vacation. We have got a great support for MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside. This year we have already started getting bookings for MSC Seaview. India has always been a market where people look at premium products, people look for value. We have the Yacht Club and Auria packages which are well received in India market. We need to educate the consumers in the right way to sell the premium products.”
The cruise liner is all set to introduce an e-learning programme for the travel agents. This programme will be linked with the booking platform which will enable the cruise sellers to be up-to-date about the products.
He further said, “Today when it comes to cruise business, India is predominantly a B2B market. Main reason being cruise liners don’t start from India and travellers prefer to book through travel agents as it becomes a one stop shop. Our endeavour is to empower the travel trade fraternity; we are constantly looking to educate our trade. We have always been working one to one with our tour operators and also organise group trainings for them. We are also in line to develop an e-learning platform for the travel agents which will be a platform where they can learn how to sell a particular product apart from the general updates. We will launch this soon and this will be linked to our booking platform. Currently over 300 agents are linked with this booking platform and with all these new strategies we look forward for more and more trade partners joining hands with us.”
